At a meeting on December 15, the Federation Council rejected amendments to the law “On Education” adopted by the State Duma, which oblige schools and colleges to organize online education only using verified state platforms. The document will be finalized at a conciliation commission with the participation of deputies and senators, said the co-author of the law, chairman of the Federation Council committee on science, education and culture Lilia Gumerova. During the report, Mrs. Gumerova noted that the amendments to the draft law adopted in the second reading by the State Duma “contained technical errors” that do not allow the document to be approved.
Commenting on the position of the upper chamber, its chairman Valentina Matvienko accused the Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov of putting pressure on the Federation Council. “The Minister of Education has taken a very strange position. Realizing that a mistake had been made, and instead of taking a constructive position, working out and correcting together, he turned on all his levers to put pressure on the Federation Council so that we pass the law with a mistake against rejection, ”said Ms Matvienko, adding that she “Ashamed of the actions” of the minister. She also promised to “inform the government” that it is unacceptable to act this way.
Amendments to the law “On Education” were submitted to the State Duma in April. The explanatory note said that the bill gives the regional authorities, local self-government of municipal districts and city districts the authority to organize vocational training programs for workers and employees. However, by the second reading, the draft had been amended with regard to distance learning. In particular, the obligation was introduced to use verified online platforms, textbooks and electronic educational resources included in a special federal list when teaching in schools and colleges. The right to establish a list of such resources, as well as the procedure for forming the list, was proposed to be assigned to the Ministry of Education.
More details about the controversial amendments – in the material “The Senate will return the State Duma to distance learning.”
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